Honor's first-gen foldable is tipped to launch early next year, followed by its inaugural clamshell

Honor is projected to step into the premium foldable device arena with a device called the Magic X - although it might also be known as the Magic Fold in certain markets such as Europe. Now, the leaker Changgan Digital Jun claims to have the first concrete indication of a launch date for the device.

The tipster now believes the first-gen phablet might debut just ahead of the next Chinese New Year, which will fall at the start of February 2022. The device in question is thought to emerge as a possible rival for Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold3, being based on a distinctly Mate X2-esque design Honor may have inherited from Huawei prior to the former's split from the latter.

This impression is reinforced by a new image that might combine an Honor marketing style with the Huawei phablet's "Pinnacle" design, which tapers from one long edge to another when opened. Accordingly, it might have a high-end main 8-inch flexible AMOLED panel as a main display with a book-like form-factor and a possibly flagship-grade SoC - albeit one that can run Android with Google Mobile Services.

This "Magic X/Fold" might have a smaller sibling that is more of a Galaxy Z Flip clone, now slated to debut much later in 2022.

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